Electric toaster and griddle.



H. B. GALE.

ELECTRIC TOASTER AND GRIDDLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.16, 1909.

992,417, Patented May 16,1911.

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H. B. GALE. v ELECTRIC TOASTER AND GRIDDLE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 16, 1909.

Patented May 16, 1911 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HORACE B. GALE, 0F NATICK,

'MASSAGE'Cl'SllrT'lS, ASSIGNOR TO SIMPLEX ELECTRIC HEATING COMPANY, 013BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU- SETTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

ELECTRIC roAs'rnn AND GRIDDLE.

Application filed November 16, 1909. Serial No.-528,346.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE B. GALE, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Natick, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electric Toasters andGriddles, of

which the following description, in connec-.

tion with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like letters onthe drawings representing like parts.

My invention aims to provide a toaster, and preferably a combinedtoaster and grlddle, of large capacity adapted to hotel use and thelike. a

Among the important features of novelty of my invention are the rovisionof means for toasting both sides 0 the bread at once, toasting themuniformly andv properly, means for engaging the bread with a umformpressure at all points, means for relieving the weight of the superposedengaging portion so as not to press the bread too much, means forrelieving the opening movement of wear and shock in opening, means toprevent undue heat radiation from the toaster and to prevent overheatingthereof in the absence of bread, and the provision of a wide range ofheat regulation, including means for obtainingf a strong heat (forgriddle purposes) w ile cutting out all heat from the top, or a lightheat for both the bottom and top (for toasting purposes).

The various constructional details and further advantages of myinvention w1ll ap-. pear more at length in the course of the followingdescription taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in whichI have shown a preferred embodlment of the 1nvention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the completeapparatus; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view thereof;

Fig. 3 shows the same in slde elevation, raised, and Fig. 1 is a similarside elevat on, down; and Fig. 5 is a plan view showing the wiring.

The apparatus, in the preferred embodiment of the drawings, is ofrectangular shape, although the shape, size, and various other detailsmay be widely varied wlthin the spirit and scope of my invention, andcomprises a lower heating plate or table 1 and two upper heating plates2, 8, hinged thereto. Each plate is provided with resistance wires wembedded in porcelain or vitreous enamel 4 fused directly to the back ofthe heating surface or plate portion of the heaters, whereby the heat isapplied directly without substantial loss to the bread or other articlebeing treated, and the top heaters 2, 3, are provided with an inclosingshield or cover 5 to prevent undue heat radiation, said cover being bentdownwardly and curved around into partial sprin shape at 6 at its frontedge to take the shoe of being dropped carelessly down on the plate ortable 1 and also to raise the upper heaters 2, 3, normally above theplate or table 1 suffi ciently to maintain a slight air gap between theupper plates and the lower plate or table to prevent overheating in casethey should be left closed without any bread or other interveningarticle to work upon. At their rear ends each plate 2, 3, is providedwith ears or hinges 7 containing vertical slots 8 engaged byloosely-fitting pins 9 projecting from adjacent bosses or ears 10, sothat the plate 2- is free to adjust itselfat a greater or less. distancefrom the plate or table land yet remain in parallelism therewith to suitper,-

-fectly either thin slices of bread or thick Patented May 16, 1911slices of bread or other articles being toasted or .heated. The heatingsurface of the top .plates is preferably provided with grooves 11 forthe escape of steam from the bread, which grooves may be of any desiredfancy or other configuration so as correspondingly to mark the bread orother object.

In order that equal pressure may be applied by the top plates to allpoints of the bread, I provide means for supporting the plate fromapproximately its center of gravity. Each top plate'isprovided with abail or loop-shaped guide 12 projecting upwardly from its top side,forming a slot 13 .for receiving the U-shaped end 14 of a' heavysupporting wire, rod or arm 15 which iscur'ved upwardly and over to therear at 16 and thence downwardlyv and forward to 17 where its ends arepivotally mounted in a standard 18 of the main frame. When the plate israised the rear end 16 strikes the bed and the rod has sufficient springto take up-the shock as a shock arrester. A' helical spring 19 issecured at its forward end to the end 1 1 of the sup orting arm15 andextends thence rearwardly to the bent forward portion 20 ofa bar 21pivoted at its ends at 22 in the standard 18 above and weight 0 at therear of the pivot 17. By reason of this construction it will beunderstood that the springlilbears at all times some of the the topplate, and exerts an increasing lifting power by reason of the changingleverage as said top plate swings upwardly, so that when the top plateis in a vertical position the spring maintains it in that POSltlOXL',The spring also cooperates with the arm 15. in easing the downwardmovement of the plate, the weight and lifting force being in ap roximateequilibrium when the plate is a out half-way down. When the plateapproaches its lower position its weight overbalances the diminishinglifting force of the spring, allowing the plate to rest upon the breadwith force enough to insure proper contact for heat transmission, butstill with a sufiicient part of the weight supported by the arm 15 andspring 19 to prevent the bread being crushed or pressed too hard. Inorder that the upper heating plate may be free to adjust itself to restuniformly on the bread at all points of its surface the arm 15 isarranged to cooperate with the guide 12 in flexibly supporting the plateat approximately its center of gravity, to which point the end 14 slidesin the loosely-fitting slot 13 as the plate reaches its lower position.This balancing action of the 5 ring 19 and arm 15 also insure that,notwithstanding the large size and considerable weight of the top late,its movement up and down is accomplished smoothly and easily, almostwithout eliort on the part of the user. j a

The wiring of the plates is best shown in Fig. 5, where it will be seenthat the table 1 has a low heating resistance wire or winding 23 and amedium heating resistance wire or winding 24 whose terminals are'broughttogether at one end at 25 and connected by a wire 26 to a suitablesource 27 of current, while the opposite terminals of said two wiresare. led out independently from the binding osts '28, 29, by wires 30,31, to the source 0 energy, being independently controlled by switches32, 33. As herein shown, the top plates are provided respectively withresistance winding 34,35 connected at 36,37, with one contact-38 of aswitch 39 whose other contact 40 connects by a conductor 41 with one ofthe feed wires, as the wire 30. The circuit is completed from theresistances 34, 35 by the conductor 44 to the wire 26. Thus for ordinarytoasting purposes where a comparatively low heat is required, the switch33 is left 0 en, the switches 32 and 39 being closed, t herebymaintaining the table 1 and top plates 2, 3, at the right uniformtoasting temperature. If the top plates.

probable wants of regular hotel service. Theadvantage of having twoindependently operable top plates is that not only is the capacity ofthe apparatus thereby increased,

but also thereby a practically continuous dellvery of toast is madepossible inasmuch as a supply may be toasting in one while being removedfrom the other, and a fresh supply placed therein, and vice versa. It

will be understood that the apparatus is not limited to two of these topplates but there may be one or more.

Having described my invention, what I claim-as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is,

l. A device of the kind described, comprising opposite electric heaterplates relatively movable for receiving between them an article, such asa slice of bread, to be toasted on both sides at once, andmeans formaintaining them in direct contact with the opposite sides of an articleto be toasted at all parts thereof irrespective of variations inthickness of its several portions.

2. A device of the kind described, comprising an electrically heatedtable for receiving a slice of bread to be toasted, a superposedelectrically heated plate to rest upon the top side of the bread, andmeans permitting said top plate to adjust itself automatically intodirect contact with all parts of the adjacent side of the breadirrespective of the thickness of the latter within considerable limits.p

3. A device of the kind described,'comprising an electrically heatedtable for receiving a slice of bread tobe toasted, a superposedelectricall heated plate to rest upon the topside of the bread, andmeans permitting said top plate to adjust itself automatically intodirect contact with all parts of the adjacent side of thick or thinslices, said top plate having on its under side grooves for the escapeof air and moisture during the toasting operation.

14. A device of the kind described, comprising an electrically heatedtable for rece'iving a slice of bread to, be toasted, a su erposedelectrically heatedplate hinge to swing upwardly away from said tableand downwardly into toasting position, the hing- .ing means includingprovision to permit the plateto adjust itself automatically intosubstantial parallelism with the table at different distances therefrom.

5. A device of the kind described, comprising an electrically heatedtable to receive the bread to be toasted, an electrically heated platemounted above said table to rest on top of the bread, and hinging meansat one end of said plate consisting of a vertically slotted member and apin, relatively movable, one stationary and the other carried by saidplate, to permit the plate to maintain approximate parallelism with thetable at varying heights therefrom, so as to maintain proper toasting enagement with the bread at all points thereo 6. A device of the kinddescribed, comprising an electrically heated table for the bread to restupon a cooperating electrically heated plate movably mounted to rest ontop of the bread, and means for partially relieving the bread of aportion of the weight of said plate so as not to press the bread toomuch.

7. A device of the kind described, comprising an electrically heatedtable for the bread to rest upon, a cooperating electrically heatedplate movably mounted to rest on top of the bread, and means cooperatingwith said plate for equalizing the pressure thereof on the bread at allpoints thereof.

8. A device of the kind described, comprising an electrically heatedtable to receive the bread, an electrically heated loosely hinged plate,to swing down on top of the bread, and yielding supporting meanspartially suspending said plate from its center of gravity so aspartially to counterbalance the plate and to keep its weight on thebread uniform at all points thereof.

9. A device of the kind described, comprising a table to receive thebread, resistance wires embedded in vitreous enamel directly against theunder side of said table, a cooperating plate movably mounted to restabove said table on top of the bread, and resistance wires embedded invitreous enamel directly-against the upper side of said plate, saidplate having a cover with a dead air space between the cover and saidenamel for restricting heat radiation upwardly from the plate.

10. A device of the kind described, comprising an electrically heated'table, an electrically heated plate movably mounted above said table tocooperate therewith, and spring means mounted in relation to said tableand to said plate to relieve the shock when the plate is permitted tofall on the table and to limit the approach of the plate toward thetable so as to prevent over-heating.

11. A device of the kind described, comprising a horizontal electricallyheated table, an electrically heated plate movably mounted above saidtable to cooperate therewith and spring means depending from the edge ofsaid plate to limit the approach of the plate toward the table so as toprevent overheatingand'relieve the shock when the plate is permitted tofall on the table.

12. A device of the kind described, comprising a horizontal electricallyheated table, and a plate hinged above the table to cooperate therewith,the hinging mechanism including a supporting arm having a yieldingportion arranged to strike against a stationary part as the plate swingsapproximately to raised position, for relieving the shock in stoppingthe -'plate.

13. A device of the kind described, comrising a horizontal electricallyheated table lbr the bread to lie on, an electrically heated platepivot-ally mounted above said table to rest on top of the bread whentoasting, and a spring-actuated arm adapted to support a portion of theweight of the plate when the latter is in approximately horizontalposition.

14. A device of the kind described, comprising a horizontal electricallyheated table for toasting the bottom side of the bread, an

electrically heated plate for toasting the top side of the bread, ahinge for said plate at one edge thereof, a pivoted supporting armhaving sliding engagement with said plate adjacent the middle thereof,and a spring normally exerting an upward strain on said arm and plate.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HORACE B. GALE.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. MAXWELL, M. J. SPALDING.

